I'm at a loss. I don't know how to tackle this assignment given by my English prof.

[Parrothead]

Okay, it is done. I took out the OP because I used part of it in the essay. I didn't want the turnedit in thing to cause a problem when I turn it in.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did end up incorporating some of them in the essay. Even the suggestion to suck it it and get over it.

 

Thanks again. You are the greatest.

[Kim in Appalachia]

The experience had to have a positive effect, it doesn't have to be positive.

 

So, you could write about how leaving home had a positive effect, marriage, divorce, having you dd.  Anything.  How did it effect you in a positive way, what did it lead to that was good.  I guess it's an assignment to see a the glass half full.  I know I tend to see it half empty. :) 

[Dandelion]

If I recall correctly from previous posts, isn't your family preparing to move "off the grid"?  Move farther out with an emphasis on self-sufficiency?  Would that be a positive experience you could write about?  Even though you haven't done it yet, the process of preparing for it could be an interesting topic.

 

I think you could probably pick any experience and emphasize the positive, even if there were some negative impacts as well (e.g. stress, inconvenience, etc.).  Just focus on what was positive and write about that to meet the requirements of the assignment. Your prof doesn't need to know the whole story.  ;)

[poppy]

I am at a loss to think of how someone can't come up with 500 words about a positive experience. Seriously? Your mom was a role model, you saw an Olympic athlete do something inspiring, a teacher challenged you and you rose to the occasion.  You wrote a short story.  You trained someone at work. You made a REALLY delicious muffin. You watched a NASA launch and it expanded your horizons.  Anything.

[Chris in VA]

Yep--think smaller.  :001_smile:

 

You are a homeschooler, aren't you? Hasn't that been positive at all? (Ahem--must be or you wouldn't still do it, right?)

 I found it made me grow a little bit more unselfish, gave me a chance to spend more time with my kids, helped me learn to be a tad more organized, gave me a little sense of purpose, provided me with a chance to problem-solve, provided moments of satisfaction as I saw my children learn and realized I'd fostered that learning....

 

It's not COMPLETELY positive. There's good and bad with every experience. Focus on something good. 

[Guest submarines]

I am at a loss to think of how someone can't come up with 500 words about a positive experience. Seriously? Your mom was a role model, you saw an Olympic athlete do something inspiring, a teacher challenged you and you rose to the occasion.  You wrote a short story.  You trained someone at work. You made a REALLY delicious muffin. You watched a NASA launch and it expanded your horizons.  Anything.

 

ITA. It is about your writing skills, not about your life. Pick something and write. It doesn't even have to be autobiographical. Go for it! It is just 2 pages.

[Little Nyssa]

I don't think I'm confusing you with another poster, but haven't you mentioned that there are unusual things that have happened to you which have made you a Christian, or strengthened your faith? I bet you could write about your Catholicism, unless you're not allowed to write about religion.

[Parrothead]

I am at a loss to think of how someone can't come up with 500 words about a positive experience. Seriously? Your mom was a role model, you saw an Olympic athlete do something inspiring, a teacher challenged you and you rose to the occasion.  You wrote a short story.  You trained someone at work. You made a REALLY delicious muffin. You watched a NASA launch and it expanded your horizons.  Anything.

 

My mom was not a role model.  I've never watched the Olympics even on TV.  My teachers were all crappy.  I've never written a short story - the one time I tried my role model of a mother shot it down and picked every single flaw out.  I've not trained anyone at work. My muffins are average and when I watched a NASA launch I thought, "Okay, cool.  I suppose that was worth the wait."

 

Homeschooling isn't a positive experience for me. I find it stressful and time consuming.  Have you ever read my posts on the high school board that are so full of angst and self doubt?  I try my best to make it a positive experience for dd.  but for me, not so much.

 

I must be a miserable person and am not smart enough to see it.

[Parrothead]

I don't think I'm confusing you with another poster, but haven't you mentioned that there are unusual things that have happened to you which have made you a Christian, or strengthened your faith? I bet you could write about your Catholicism, unless you're not allowed to write about religion.

 

No, I'm one of those cradle Catholics that never left.  I never lost faith. 

 

I don't know. Maybe.  I've already mentioned the new job as DRE in my introduction.  I don't know if I want to push the religion aspect of my life.  I don't want to come across as one of "those" people.  But if I can't think of anything else I might have to.

[Parrothead]

ITA. It is about your writing skills, not about your life. Pick something and write. It doesn't even have to be autobiographical. Go for it! It is just 2 pages.

 

Lie?  I never thought to lie.  Maybe I should just make something up.

 

Okay, you ladies, give me an idea of something I can make up without having to do a lot of research. 

 

(Why can't this be a straightforward research essay or argumentative paper?)

[Dandelion]

 

I must be a miserable person and am not smart enough to see it.

 

I think you're over-thinking this assignment.   :grouphug:   Pick a topic that you can say at least 3 positive things about (even if there are negatives associated with it too), and just start writing.  A 500-750 word essay is not very long.  That's the length of an average blog post.  You've written longer posts on this board.  ;)

 

[Tap]

What if you hone in on a smaller area, instead of looking so broad.

 

For me a topic maybe similar to this: Homeschooling isn't a glamorous endeavor, but it does have its moments.  Now that my kids are in high school and college, the relationship that we forged is becoming more clear.  My children have real conversations with me, and we talk about the things they are learning outside the home, often with the same level of interest as we did in our home school.  Last night my son and I were driving home about 9pm. He was telling me about his professor's lecture from earlier in the day and about the conversation that ensued from the topic. (The 10 Commandments are the summation of the laws, which are discussed in various books of the Bible, but were not intended to be the laws themselves.)  During this conversation, he pulled out his Bible to show me the various passages and tied it all back to the conversation. He led me through the professors interpretation, a few comments from fellow students,  and then offered me evidence of his point of view. I asked questions and he presented his answers in a way that made perfect sense to me.  We talked for about 20 minutes and then I realized, we were sitting in my car in the driveway.  As I look back on the conversation, I see how our years of homeschooling has led to a very natural teacher/student relationship with my 19yo son. When he was 9, I was his teacher and now at 19, he is often my teacher.  When we started homeschooling, I was thinking of my child's education and how our moments would unfold day to day as I educated him.  What I didn't think about, was how those homeschooling moments, would come back full circle and now, he is the one with the book in his hand, showing me a passage with that same fervor I once felt teaching him. 

 

Something simple, but positive.  

[kroe1]

You spend some time here.  There must be some reason why you chat with strangers.  How about a paper entitled, "Parrothead and her Imaginary Friends"?

 

Edited to say, "Imaginary Friends" is something I use to speak of online chat sites.  I didn't mean it in a condescending way, it's just my description since my first chat site years ago.

 

 

[Parrothead]

If I recall correctly from previous posts, isn't your family preparing to move "off the grid"?  Move farther out with an emphasis on self-sufficiency?  Would that be a positive experience you could write about?  Even though you haven't done it yet, the process of preparing for it could be an interesting topic.

 

I think you could probably pick any experience and emphasize the positive, even if there were some negative impacts as well (e.g. stress, inconvenience, etc.).  Just focus on what was positive and write about that to meet the requirements of the assignment. Your prof doesn't need to know the whole story.  ;)

 

See, my mind doesn't work this way.  All I can say is we were thinking about moving out of town to be able to have a garden.  We drove around looking at property and found 10 acres we liked.  Thirty days later we closed on it, and there it sits waiting for the day when we can afford to move. Was buying the land a positive move?  Well, we gained real estate which is always a smart financial move.  But we can't afford to do anything with it at present so it sits waiting.

[Parrothead]

You spend some time here.  There must be some reason why you chat with strangers.  How about a paper entitled, "Parrothead and her Imaginary Friends"?

 

Subtitled:  The people who talk me down when I'm wigging out. 

 

[Plink]

Ooh, I like Minnie's idea. Write about us! You stumbled across a random web forum and it impacted your life positively. You were able to research materials with honest reviews, learned new information, and formed friendships. That should do it! Happy writing.

[Mama Geek]

It really sounds like you just don't want to do this and you are just making excuses.  

 

Certainly for whatever reasons you don't have to go to work everyday is something that you could discuss the positive side of or the season when you found out you were pregnant with your children.  It is 2 pages  Put on your big girl panties and get it done. :001_smile:

[scholastica]

Well, has there been a time when something on the board has turned into something positive for you?  Did you ever have an experience that changed the way you did/do things in your life (for the better)? Have you learned anything new when homeschooling your daughter? An experience with your daughter's interest in  performing arts that made the logical you see things differently?

 

And, don't lie, it will show. As said by a PP, this assignment is a way for the professor to gauge the writing skills level of his/her students.  

 

scholastica

 

[Dandelion]

See, my mind doesn't work this way.  All I can say is we were thinking about moving out of town to be able to have a garden.  We drove around looking at property and found 10 acres we liked.  Thirty days later we closed on it, and there it sits waiting for the day when we can afford to move. Was buying the land a positive move?  Well, we gained real estate which is always a smart financial move.  But we can't afford to do anything with it at present so it sits waiting.

 

Well, that's a start.

 

(1) "We were thinking about moving out of town to be able to have a garden."  Why?  How will having this garden positively impact your life?  When you were envisioning this garden, how did that propel you to move forward with these plans (= positive impact)?

 

(2) "We drove around looking at property and found 10 acres we liked. Thirty days later we closed on it."  Awesome! Positive impact = we had a vision and we immediately took action on the first step towards making that vision a reality.

 

(3) "There it sits waiting for the day when we can afford to move."  That might feel negative, but is the fact that you now have this land changing your financial habits?  Are you now saving more in order to make this move happen?  Has there been a positive impact on your finances in that regard?  See if you can view the impact of having the land, and saving up to make the move, in a positive light. 

 

If you focus on how this vision and the steps you're taking to make it happen are positively impacting you (i.e. the vision itself is a positive, you have the land, and now you're making positive changes to your finances to be able to make this a reality), you've got the makings of a 500 word essay. 

[fairfarmhand]

Subtitled:  The people who talk me down when I'm wigging out. 

 

 

Here's a start... Eleven (for me, you insert personal details here) years ago, I began homeschooling my daughter. I decided to do this because of ___________.  Teaching my daughter at home is very important to me, yet it is far from easy. My personality is one that stresses very easily.  On those days when I feel like everything is going awry, I really need advice, hugs and a listening ear.

 

Many people, when they are having personal struggles, pick up the phone to call a close friend or family member. However, for personal reasons, that option is not open to me. Instead, I have found an online community that does for me what no extended family or best friend can do. By logging on to the Well Trained Mind forum, I have the benefit of the wisdom of hundreds of mothers who have been there and done that...

 

 

One day, I was having a hard time with....

 

etc....

 

Does that inspire you? Give you any ideas?

[magnificent_baby]

What if you took it from the angle in your OP. Go through with examples on how you have not gone through any significant experiences (listing examples as you did) and emphasize mundane life experiences, yet how this assignment has inspired you to do something great with your new education. It would be totally different than other students and stand out, I think.

 

Just a thought!

[In The Great White North]

 

 

Lie?  I never thought to lie.  Maybe I should just make something up.

 

 

Yep.

 

I hate these kinds of assignments because they are not my therapist and it's none of their business.  Journaling falls into the same category.  "Sharing" the essay is the icing on the cake.

[unsinkable]

My mom was not a role model. I've never watched the Olympics even on TV. My teachers were all crappy. I've never written a short story - the one time I tried my role model of a mother shot it down and picked every single flaw out. I've not trained anyone at work. My muffins are average and when I watched a NASA launch I thought, "Okay, cool. I suppose that was worth the wait."

 

Homeschooling isn't a positive experience for me. I find it stressful and time consuming. Have you ever read my posts on the high school board that are so full of angst and self doubt? I try my best to make it a positive experience for dd. but for me, not so much.

 

I must be a miserable person and am not smart enough to see it.

Then make something up.

 

And start a gratitude journal...cuz, wow, just wow.

[mommymilkies]

I hate questions like that.  One essay question for a college application I did recently: "How do you plan to change the world with your degree?"  Ummm...I'm not planning on changing the world.  I'm trying to get a job so that we have money.  There's nothing terribly altruistic or world changing about that.   :lol:

[magnificent_baby]

Lie?  I never thought to lie.  Maybe I should just make something up.

 

Okay, you ladies, give me an idea of something I can make up without having to do a lot of research. 

 

(Why can't this be a straightforward research essay or argumentative paper?)

 

I wouldn't outright lie. Think of something that you have experienced and embellish if you have to, it's fine. I'm sure he is looking at your writing style and not truly interested in your personal life (I don't mean that the way it sounds, LOL!). Even if it's not super exciting, just pick a topic in your life and start writing. It shouldn't be hard to meet the word requirements. Use an online thesaurus to help you not repeat similar descriptive words.

[poppy]

I have to be honest, if you can't tackle this really basic high-school level writing assignment, I suggest you take an F.

 

I know that's not helpful. I'm not a mean person.  But it's like talking to Charlie Brown here. Your life does not sound so dreadful that you can't find a modicum of gratitude for ONE experience in your life.

 

I really believe that---- barring major illness or trauma----- happiness is a choice, and so is misery.  Why chose misery?

[fairfarmhand]

I have to be honest, if you can't tackle this really basic high-school level writing assignment, I suggest you take an F.

 

I know that's not helpful. I'm not a mean person.  But it's like talking to Charlie Brown here. Your life does not sound so dreadful that you can't find a modicum of gratitude for ONE experience in your life.

 

I really believe that---- barring major illness or trauma----- happiness is a choice, and so is misery.  Why chose misery?

 

I don't see Parrothead as miserable. I see her as a logical person kind of removed from her feelings about things. My dh is like this. In fact, too much dependence on feelings is irritating for him.

[Dandelion]

Chucki came here for help.  

 

This is her first college class after what I'm assuming has been a very, very long break.  She's frustrated, and she even said in her first post that going back to school is causing her stress.  I don't think she needs to be kicked while she's down.  Sure, she sounds glum but what I'm reading into that is that she's frustrated and doesn't know where to start.  Not that she's purposely trying to be negative and shoot everyone's ideas down.    

 

Some of the responses in this thread are a tad harsh. 

[Susan C.]

Chucki,

I see some things in your original post that are the beginnings of a great essay! You are a good writer, I've read your posts over the years. Please don't be so hard on yourself!   And...... drum roll...... my English major ds24 (graduated) says your paper is done. I read him your first post, he said tweek it and turn it in!

[Parrothead]

 

 

I have to be honest, if you can't tackle this really basic high-school level writing assignment, I suggest you take an F.

I know that's not helpful. I'm not a mean person. But it's like talking to Charlie Brown here. Your life does not sound so dreadful that you can't find a modicum of gratitude for ONE experience in your life.

I really believe that---- barring major illness or trauma----- happiness is a choice, and so is misery. Why chose misery?

I never said I not grateful for my life or what I have. What I said is I do not have a profoundly joyful or positive experience.

I can write and write well. What I can't do is think of an experience that has not been extremely average.

Part of our assignment is to state our thesis by today at 1159p. Others have stated they are writimg about Ovecoming addiction, recovering from an injury sustained while fighting a war and other similar dreadful experiences.

I have nothing of importance that I've done. I am miserably average. I'm not ungrateful for it, but it doesn't make for a profound positive experience.

[Vida Winter]

Often we find our best moments in those times when we can help others. Try to remember such a time.

[Susan C.]

From ds24, he says to "clean it up" he told me quickly:

 

Although I can't recall one shining defining moment in my life, or one huge defining struggle, the combination of experiences I have had do add up to something and have made me who I am. Then talk about how your life has worked together to make you who you are.

[poppy]

I never said I not grateful for my life or what I have. What I said is I do not have a profoundly joyful or positive experience.

 

I can write and write well. What I can't do is think of an experience that has not been extremely average.

 

Part of our assignment is to state our thesis by today at 1159p. Others have stated they are writimg about Ovecoming addiction, recovering from an injury sustained while fighting a war and other similar dreadful experiences.

 

I have nothing of importance that I've done. I am miserably average. I'm not ungrateful for it, but it doesn't make for a profound positive experience.

I missed that it had to be a profound positive experience. Was that the assignment? Don't try to compete with the other topics.... that doesn't matter.  A well written essay about a small thing is much better than a middling essay about a Big Event. As a PP said, this is a test of your writing, not your life story.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I don't think you have to lie, or make something up.  I think you need to relook at some of your experiences.  You look at homeschooling and all you see is the stress (I'm right there with you!) but there is positive.  You can write about how you spend more time with your dd.  Divorce it from your feelings.  You need to look at it more logically. You keep seeing stress instead of seeing how you have responded to that stress.  

 

Maybe stress you be your "experience".  The stress and doubt surrounding homeschooling has made you reach out to others (this board!) research more about education, learn more about your dd and yourself.  You've been exposed to more ideas then you would have if you never homeschooled.

 

You're married.  Your marriage has caused you to learn to compromise, learn to think about others.  You have a child.  Kids do the same thing.  You have to consider your dd in all of your decisions. You're a less selfish person because of her.

 

You are back in school.  Yes it's stressful, but you're learning.  You are expanding who you are.  You have new routines, have found new ways to manage your life (referring to going to school, being a mom, and homeschooling).

 

:grouphug: Those type of writing assignments are not my favorite either.  You sound overwhelmed.  Take a deep breath and start making some web diagram of ideas.  Your professor wants to see you write a unified and coherent paper.  You can do it.  

[Joyofsixreboot]

I always considered these kinds of assignments a work of fiction.  I'd just make something up because really, I don't need this guy getting into my life.  Just my $.02.

[Clear Creek]

Positive does not have to mean fun or without any negatives.  Has your marriage been beneficial to you in any way?  Even just for companionship or help with parenting?  Then it has affected your life in a positive way.  Has homeschooling ruined your life?  Or has working hard at it (on your end) helped develop persistence in your own character - a positive quality?  If you haven't given up and have made it all the way to high school, you definitely have some persistence!  Has parenting developed any positive qualities in yourself, like the ability to put another person's needs above your own, or learning patience with someone as they learn something new, or loving unconditionally, or determination in succeeding in a task (like potty training)?

 

I am sure that just about all the experiences you have had in your life have impacted you positively - even the death of someone can have a positive affect on your life...it often makes us treasure the time we have with those that are still with us and to show our love more often.

 

[Incognito]

Don't feel bad because you don't have a sob story.  It's good to not have had horrible things in your life.

 

Just write about the property you are going to move to and be done with it.  Write about the positive aspects, skip the negatives, and it's over. 

 

I have the feeling you aren't used to "school" and how they make you do things. Use this essay to learn about your teacher.  Write in your style, and see what they critique.  It's short, and you really don't have to (shouldn't) get all personal in it. 

 

Good Luck.

 

 

[Paige]

I think you are confusing positive with positive emotions. The assignment does not have anything to do with happiness and is quite broad. It could be almost anything.

 

Think about the things in your life that you care about- it could be people, pets, places, ideals, music, movies, books, experiences, hopes, memories, hobbies, etc. Now, think about how it happened that you came to care about those things or what brought them into your life? You could say that homeschooling your child has positively affected you because it taught you perseverance, and it taught you that you are strong, and capable of doing hard things you believe in even if you don't enjoy it. It was also positive because it forced you to improve your own education as you educated your DD.

 

Or, say you had a friend as a child who had a wonderful family. Perhaps seeing their family and being welcomed in gave you hope for your own family and a model for how you could end up better than your mother.

 

Or...someone's encouragement to begin a small garden has led you to spend hours on your garden now bringing you fulfillment and peace.

 

It does not have to be something personal. You could relate how the grocery's new online coupon system has allowed you to save money without even thinking about it whereas before you were too lazy to coupon. (that would be me.)

 

It does not have to be happy. Perhaps witnessing a friend or relative's struggles have encouraged you to stay on the straight and narrow or to get involved with X.

 

It does not have to be big. Perhaps you enjoy watching a certain show with your spouse and it gives you all something new to laugh about and discuss.

 

It does not have to be true. Honestly- I don't even think the prof cares if it's true. He or she just wants to see you write, and if you really feel uncomfortable sharing personal stories with him or her, then it shouldn't have to negatively affect your grade.

[Tap]

I don't think that Chucki is ungrateful, in fact she sees that her life has been a pleasant one, albeit non-remarkable one.  For very logical people it is hard to see the little joys of life as anything more than that....little joys! Not life changing. Not amazing or fabulous,....just a happy moment. 

 

That is the problem, she doesn't see that any thing Profound has happened.  She is looking for something that would really mean something to her LIFE.  She is looking for something that has made a Major Positive impact on her Life.  

 

But, honestly if you have lead a vanilla life, it is hard to find those things.  Even factors like children and marriage, occur in baby steps and don't knock every one over with the awesomeness of it all.  

 

 

I struggled with the same issues in school.  Some people can say something as mundane as discovering gellato has made a positive impact on their life..... I may really enjoy a good gellato and see it as a nice addition to my pallet, it didn't really affect my LIFE! 

 

Once, I realized that people don't take assignments as literally as I did, it was easier to find the words to put on paper.  I realized that professors don't expect every paper to wow them. I found that sometimes I needed to just get a paper knocked out and some form of ink on the page.  I had to learn that  I wasn't expected to be passionate about every topic, I was just expected to meet the expectations of the assignment.  

 

 

[fraidycat]

I am the same way. I've always hated assignments like that, ever since junior high and high school. I live an average life, I have no great passions or big dreams. My autobiography would be really short and really boring.

 

I hope you are able to think of something.

[Dandelion]

What about your time in law enforcement, Chucki?  

 

I bet you experienced many things during that time that had a positive impact on you.  Whether it was seeing the suffering in the world, and appreciating your life more as a result - or seeing how people come through in tough situations and make a positive difference in the lives of others.  There's probably quite a bit of fodder there for an essay. 

[Peace out muffins]

Defintely don't worry about what other people are doing.

 

I had to do this stupid assignment once too, about "life-changing experiences," and my idiot instructor put the guy who broke up with his GF to spend $75k at a private US school (and not a good one)instead of a free one in his country in the same group with a kid who escaped Sudan, a kid who watched his mom get murdered, and a couple of death/depression/abuse stories. Said she tried to group serious-nesses together. They're dumb and cheap assignments.

 

Your kid changed your life, probably positively, right? Write about her. Write about the day you decided to go on your first date with DH. Pick an event and write about the positive of it, even if there is a negative, too.

[Guest submarines]

.

 

I'm not the intuitive sort that feels every little thing.  Logic is more my style.  I'm not sure I'd find joy or happiness or simple positiveness in any given situation.  As much as I detest the phrase, life is what it is. 

 

 

 

So here's your opening statement just above. These college level assignments are really not about your life, because frankly, no one cares whether you really had some spectacular life changing experiences. But I wouldn't call it lying. Creative non-fiction is a popular genre. 

 

In addition, the vast majority of people lead pretty average life. 

 

What I'm sensing from your post is that you are experiencing some kind of an existential crisis over not having a more exciting life.  :grouphug:

[happyhomemaker]

Maybe you could take the angle that the small things in life are powerful in their own way. Not everyone has huge positive experiences, but I think everyone can think of small instances of goodness or kindness that have made a difference. Maybe that difference wasn't life-changing, but it changed your day or hour or whatever. Life is made up of more small moments like that than big, dramatic changes. Focus on the small good things that quietly permeate our lives. That could separate you from the crowd writing about big, life-altering things.

 

To give you a "for-instance": I had gotten a ticket for not renewing my vehicle registration. We were scraping together money at the time and just couldn't afford it. We had just moved, I gave birth a week after the move, and I forgot about the ticket. I remembered the day it was due. I had to go downtown with 3 kids- one a newborn. The directions were confusing, I couldn't find parking. It was a mess. I parked, got the kids out, and we started walking. It was close to 5pm so we started running to the building where I thought we were supposed to go. I asked a lady on her way out if this was the correct building. She told me I had to go to another building several blocks down. I wasn't going to be able to make it in time. Then she asked me why I got the ticket and I explained. She said she was an assistant district attorney. She asked for my name and said she would take care of the ticket for me. I was so grateful that I hugged her and almost cried! That incident didn't change my life, but it did change my day and strengthened my resolve to help others if I found myself in a situation to do so.

[Word Nerd]

I think you are overthinking the assignment and philosophizing too much. Just pick a life decision or event and write about it. Even if it has good and bad elements—which you can also include in your assignment—surely there are a lot of things in your life that have had a positive effect.

[Word Nerd]

 

Homeschooling isn't a positive experience for me. I find it stressful and time consuming.  Have you ever read my posts on the high school board that are so full of angst and self doubt?  I try my best to make it a positive experience for dd.  but for me, not so much.

 

 

So you don't believe homeschooling has had a positive effect on your kids—which also affects you? Then why are you doing it? (Answering that question might be something you could include in your assignment.)

[Catwoman]

Just make something up, type it out, and forget about it.

 

If you want to add entertainment value, make it a really superficial positive experience, like the time you were feeling really sad because of some horrific tragedy, but then you happened to stop in at Sephora and the saleswoman helped you find the best shade of lip gloss you had ever worn in your entire life, and you instantly felt better, and it wasn't just a short term positive experience either, because you still wear that same shade of lip gloss and everyone compliments you on it.

[Vida Winter]

Another idea-- think of times that you have been moved to tears. Examples: watching your child in a music recital, a graduation, a wedding, being grateful that a certain milestone has been met, a major accomplishment, moving away and saying goodbye, leaving home for the first time.

[Parrothead]

So here's your opening statement just above. These college level assignments are really not about your life, because frankly, no one cares whether you really had some spectacular life changing experiences. But I wouldn't call it lying. Creative non-fiction is a popular genre. 

 

In addition, the vast majority of people lead pretty average life. 

 

What I'm sensing from your post is that you are experiencing some kind of an existential crisis over not having a more exciting life.  :grouphug:

 

I thought about that.  I actually threw together half an essay in my head while I was in the shower this morning, but ditched the idea because it didn't follow the assignment exactly.

[Parrothead]

So you don't believe homeschooling has had a positive effect on your kids—which also affects you? Then why are you doing it? (Answering that question might be something you could include in your assignment.)

 

I do it because it is the best thing for dd. What is good for her is not necessarily the best thing for me.